Norwalk Jazz Fest goes off without a hitch

The Norwalk Jazz Festival received a big second-year boost as concert-goers flocked to Veterans Memorial Park Saturday and grooved to smooth jazz under sunny skies.

Sitting in foldable chairs and on blankets, approximately 500 people soaked in the sounds of the Damon Grant Project in the mid-afternoon sun.

"It's pretty much a blissful Saturday," said festival-goer Joe Curran of Newtown.

The festival, which took place from noon to dusk, featured big-name jazz acts as well as up-and-comers.

"It's a true example of a quality of life arts event," said Herb Grant, president of DMG and Associates, LLC, the company that hosts the jazz festival.

Less people attended than expected at the inaugural one-day festival in 2007, but through funds from the event's sponsors and underwriters, DMG was able to break even, according to Grant.

This year's festival attracted more people and may solidify the Norwalk Jazz Festival as an institution in the city and a tourist destination, Grant said. Grant expected up to 1,000 people to attend the festival by the day's end.

"We need to build a bridge between Hartford and the entirety of Fairfield County so people realize arts don't just start and stop in Hartford," he said.

In one of the festival's special events, Ben Vetter, a trombone player who will attend the University of Michigan next year, was presented with a $2,500 scholarship from DMG and Associates. Vetter also jammed with the Damon Grant Project on a song.

As the Damon Grant Project worked the crowd, Ray Skeeter and Veronica Mann sat quietly under an umbrella enjoying the music. Skeeter and Mann did not attend the festival last year but made it a point to attend this year's event.

"It's very nicely done," said Skeeter. "The acoustics are great. There's a nice breeze coming off the water. It's a perfect day."

Curran attended the festival with his friend, Max Barrett, who won the tickets from a radio-station contest. The men said they enjoyed getting away from their hometown of Newton and were looking forward to seeing Soulive, a jazz-funk band.

Though he enjoyed the music, Barrett said a bit more action would have brightened up the concert's atmosphere.

"If people were dancing, I'd be up there in a second," he said.

Curran disagreed, stating you could tell people were paying close attention while sitting in their chairs.

While the Faker Five performed a swamp funk vamp, Dawn Jones of Bridgeport sat and sipped water with seven friends and family members. Jones wished the promoters had advised her to bring an umbrella, but the music took her mind off the heat.

"They said there were going to be trees, but the only trees I see are across the street," she said. "But it's a cool thing, though. You just go with the flow with jazz."

Norwalk Arts Commis-sion members Jackie Lightfield and Stephen Bentkover praised the festival as a boon to the arts community.

"Any events like this that bring people to Norwalk are great," Bentkover said.